interview
JMC
Hackney-born rapper JMC has
found success Stateside with
big-name collaborations galore
for the struggling artist. With radio DJs turning their
Michael Jackson Giveaway
W
hy are all our UK musicians jumping ship and
making for the States? Why go on this mass heads and JMC having to work twice as hard to get
exodus while British music fans are standing his music played, he started to reach out to US
on the shore yelling ‘come back’. The record labels artists and came back with collaborations galore.
and the A&Rs have all turned their backs. ‘I’m just letting people know you can reach them
This is what happened to Hackney-born rapper [US rappers] as long as they are people of the same
JMC. Having got bored of not being taken seriously mindset and they speak the same language. I got
in the UK, the 29-year-old turned Stateside and has struggles, they got struggles.’
dan Roach since been making music with the cream of US Hip
Hop. JMC frustratedly points out: ‘In the US, if it Big-name collaborations
sounds good they go with it. Take Estelle, she had big The work has clearly paid off – now he’s collaborating
successes over there and now the UK is realising it.’ with rnb crooners 112 and hip hop stars Cassidy,
Terror Squad and Sheek Louch to name a few.
Embracing change Taking 35mm film, the same quality used in
The difference between the two major markets is blockbuster films like Jurassic Park, JMC is ensuring
clear: one shies away from new sounds and the other videos for his songs are not your urban standard. Not
embraces change with open arms. Constant knock only that, but he’s bringing US rappers to the UK to
backs from the UK meant that JMC had to turn to shoot the videos – even to his home town Hackney.
the US to get his music projects off the ground. Even His latest collaboration with Cassidy has yielded
though his sound was appreciated here, it wasn’t a summer hit song They MC which is all about his
clichéd enough to pass the industry tests. upbringing in Hackney, which sees him rap about
‘I hooked up with DJ Spoony who linked us up guns and drugs and his own dance with death.
with someone at Sony and that’s how I came to do a JMC is truly doing it for himself. He has his own
Lemar remix of 50/50. But they decided to go with studio nicknamed ‘The Vault’ and is aiming to bring
the industry standard. I saw my remix as a fresh new talented UK’s rappers to the forefront of the music
sound and they even liked the mix. But they don’t like scene using his contacts, experience and studio as a
taking many risks in the UK,’ says JMC. gateway. JMC is truly a musician and entrepreneur.
ds by Selina Campbell, Photography by Jor
The UK music industry is tough enough, but with
or
the lack of hope, belief and hard cash being injected JMC, They MC out now
W into it, this just makes life that much more difficult
www.myspace.com/jmcvault
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